Gate Mudaliyar Edmund Peiris, JP, UM was a

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

ese colonial-era headman and philanthropist. He was the

Mudaliyar Thuluva Vellalar (Thondamandala Tuluva Vellalar), also known as Agamudaya Mudaliars and Arcot Mudaliars, is a caste found in northern Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra Pradesh and southern Karnataka, India. They were originally significant lando ...

of Kalutara and was appointed as a

Mudaliyar of the Governor's Gate Mudali (or Mudaliyar) was a colonial title and office in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) which was part of the native headman system. The Portuguese colonials created the Mudaliyar class in the 17th century by enlisting natives of different castes from ...

. His father was Mudaliyar Romanis Peiris, Customs Mudaliyar. Educated at

St. John's College Panadura St John's College is a school in Panadura, Sri Lanka, that was founded in 1876. It is a National school with a student population of 2500 and staff of about 100. History St. John's College was initially known as 'Primary State English School' w ...

and

Colombo Academy Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janua ...

, he joined the public service as a

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

and served in the Colombo

Kachcheri A kachcheri or district secretariat is the principal government department that administrates a district in Sri Lanka. Each of the 25 districts has a kachcheri. The main tasks of the District Secretariat involve coordinating communications and ac ...

before being promoted to

Muhandiram Muhandiram ( si, මුහන්දිරම්, ta, முகாந்திரம்) was a post in the native headmen system in the lower-country (coastal districts) of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) during the colonial era. It was awarded as a title o ...

of Colombo Kachcheri in 1908 and was appointed as the youngest Mudaliyar of Pandadura and Kalutara Totamunes. He held the post for twenty five years retiring with the titular title of Mudaliyar, later to be given the titular title of Mudaliyar of the Governor's Gate. He was appointed a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and an

Unofficial magistrate In Sri Lanka, a Justice of the Peace and Unofficial magistrate (also known as Acting magistrate) is a judicial appointment made by the Minister of Justice to a particular jurisdiction under the ''Judicature Act No 02 of 1978''. An Unofficial magistr ...

. He managed the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Buddhist School, which his father built and donated it to the government. The Gate Mudliyar Edmond Peiris Prize is awarded by the Faculty of law of the University of Ceylon in his memory.New Judges of Appeal Court
/ref> He married Somie, the eldest daughter of Mudaliyar C. F. S. Jayawickrama, Mudaliyar of the District Court of Kandy. Their children include

Bernard Peiris Bernard Percival Peiris, OBE, JP (29 March 1908 – 18 January 1977) was a Sri Lankan lawyer. He was the former Cabinet Secretary and the Legal Draftsmen who drafted the ''Ceylon Order in Council'', the first constitution of independent Ceyl ...

, former Cabinet Secretary; Glanville Peiris, Ceylonese diplomat and S. W. Peiris, General Manager of Government Electrical Undertakings. His grandson is Prof

G. L. Peiris Gamini Lakshman Peiris ( Sinhala: ගාමීණි ලක්ෂ්මණ් පීරිස්, Tamil: காமினி லக்ஷ்மன் பீரிஸ்) (born 13 August 1946) is a Sri Lankan politician and academic. He was the ...

, parliamentarian and government minister. He lived at Wasala

Walauwa Walauwa or walawwa is the name given to a feudal/Colony, colonial manor house in Sri Lanka of a Native headmen of Ceylon, native headmen. It also refers to the feudal social systems that existed during the colonial era. The term walauwa is derive ...

, Gorakapola,

Panadura Panadura ( si, පානදුර, translit=Pānadura; ta, பாணந்துறை, translit=Pāṇantuṟai) is a city in Kalutara District, Western Province in Sri Lanka. It is located approximately south of Colombo and is surrounded on a ...

External links and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peiris, Edmund Gate Mudaliyars Sri Lankan Buddhists Sinhalese people Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Year of birth missing Year of death missing Sri Lankan Justices of the Peace and Unofficial magistrates